My Skin
by Tallyxx
Summary: Hermione Granger is sinking. She doesn't know who she is, where she's going or where she's been. Living a life that nobody would believe, she's just about keeping her head above water. Is there anybody that can help her? What had happened to her? And who was the man that lived in the shadows.
1. Chapter 1

The first two chapters are incredibly short. They are just short introductions of my main characters. Although sadly, they aren't mine. All characters and recognizable situations belong to her. I'm just taking creative license. This is going to be a pretty dark story. There will be scenes of drug use, sexual situations, assault and strong language. If any of that offends you, I suggest you stop reading now. Everybody else, welcome to the ride!

Her brow furrowed as she felt his beard tickle her neck. She felt the bile rise to her throat as his hand rummaged into her lace knickers. It was easy to block them out and imagine that she was somewhere else. A time before all of the chaos. Not that she could remember anything about before all of the chaos. She'd guessed that the chaos must have just stuck. She was destined to live this life. Maybe she'd been a horrid individual in a former life, she had to have been to be subjected to this kind of path.

"You're such a pretty girl, sweetheart" he muttered against her jaw.

Feeling his erection pressing into her thigh, she wriggled against him. Maybe it was because she wanted it over with, she never really knew why she did it. But more often than not, it worked. He took his penis out of his fly and pressed it to her center. She couldn't help but let out a quiet sob as he thrust himself inside of her. It was always painful. She never wanted any of it, but it was the only way of living. She didn't know if she had any family, whether there were people who cared out there looking for her, her friends maybe.

The heavy man above her was grunting and moaning as he spilled his seed inside the condom. At least she had that. She never went unprotected. Sure, she was a prostitute with a drug addiction, but at least she had the security of knowing that her actions weren't causing her medical harm. She often felt the overwhelming urge to learn or to read, but she never knew quite where it came from. Of course, in order to read, you need to be able to afford books. She couldn't. But she could afford to feed her addiction and that was all she needed to get through the pain of having no idea why you were even brought into this world. Or who brought you into it. It numbed the pain. Erased all of the bad memories for just a little while.

"That was lovely sweetheart, we must do it again soon" he purred into her ear.

She could have vomited right there and then, but she held it in.

He dressed himself and walked out of the cheap hotel room door and she broke. Her heart pained, her breath caught in her throat and she just cried. She cried for three hours before she peeled herself out of the clammy sheets to go to the bathroom.

Flushing the toilet, she stood against the sink and wiped her face with a damp flannel. Looking into the mirror, she had no idea who was staring back at her. The dark circles around her eyes insinuated that she hadn't slept for weeks, her mousy brown hair unruly and out of control, her red, tear stained cheeks. Who was this woman? Why couldn't she remember anything about her self? Whats a girl to do when all she knows in this world is her name.

And Hermione Granger was sinking.


	2. He Knew All Too Well

He started his day just like any other. Buttoning up his white shirt, she studied himself in the mirror. He was a hard man. He couldn't imagine that many people had a good word to say about him. Especially not her. And he wouldn't blame any of them.

It had been two years to the day since he'd sent Hermione Granger away. She was becoming too much of a risk, especially with the war waging. After the death of her parents at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, she was inconsolable. She had been extremely unpredictable in the last couple of months she resided at Hogwarts. It was Dumbledores idea and he couldn't truly say that he put up a fight and argued against it.

He found it difficult to be around the Granger girl. In her sixth year she'd truly grown into a magnificent young woman. It had become difficult to supress his desires and the thought of her not being around actually sounded like a good idea. For him at least. He hadn't a clue where she was now or what she was doing. As far as he was aware, she had one-thousand muggle pounds in her purse and a suitcase full of clothes when she went. Or rather, when he sent her away.

Lying to her two friends wasn't the easiest feat. Potter and Weasley were incessant in their questions surrounding their best friends whereabouts. As far as they knew, Granger had been needed outside of the school walls. Her grandmother was sick and with her parents deceased, there wasn't anybody else to care for her. It was a likely story but it never explained why they hadn't heard a peep from her for two years. Of course, she herself had no idea that Hogwarts or its residents even existed. And that was thanks to him.

It may have been an easy decision to send her away, it hadn't settled well with him to obliviate her too. But Dumbledore insisted.

"She needs a fresh start. It will be a great loss to the wizarding world, but the pain that she undoubtedly goes through every single day? We can't allow her life to be this way"

Thats what he had said. Maybe he had been right. They'd never know.

Hermione Granger wasn't coming back. She couldn't even if she wanted to.

And Severus Snape couldn't have hurt over it anymore if he tried.


	3. Familiar Face

Once a year, the students of Hogwarts took part in an annual field trip to muggle London. Ironically, Severus Snape had been roped in to chaperone some of the students. He knew why they'd asked. Nobody but him could manage to control his unruly Slytherins. It wasn't his favourite day of the year, but he'd go. In truth he had nothing against muggles, of course he was a half-blood himself, but the hustle and bustle of London had never enticed him in the slightest.

He hadn't forgotten what day it was. It was her birthday. She didn't know it of course. It would just be any old day for her. A normal routine, going about her business with no idea that this was the day her mother brought her into the world. These were the times when Severus felt nothing but guilt for his actions. He would never forgive himself for what he'd taken away from the girl.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he button up his robes and headed for the grounds. The train would be leaving soon.

Hermione awoke from the sounds of hammering from the flat below her.

"Bastards" she muttered under her breath, cursing them for waking her up at such an hour.

Of course it was already 3pm. She had really ought to get up. It would be time for work soon. Lord knows, she was repulsed by the mere thought of it. But first, she was starving. Hermione wasn't sure when the last time she'd eaten had been, but she was craving meat. She pulled on her black skinny jeans and an oversized green vest top. It was a glorious summers day in the city and she couldnt wait to feel the breeze on her face. Slipping on a pair of flip-flops, she grabbed her bag and headed out of the front door.

Walking down the street, Hermione took complete advantage of the suns rays beaming down on her. She thoroughly enjoyed the sound of happiness and laughter that filled the air. It wasn't often that a smile would grace her face, but it did. She wondered how she'd spent the summer days before she couldn't remember. If she had some friends she could have shared it with. Maybe a boyfriend, a lover.

Arriving at a nearby fast food restaurant, Hermione settled her hunger with a burger and some fries.

The thought of her night job once again crossed her mind. She really had ought to be getting back soon. Sod it. An hour lounging about in the park wouldn't be that much of a big deal. So she disposed of her rubbish and made her way to the local park. Settling herself down on the crisp grass, she lay flat on her back and lifted her arms above her head. She closed her eyes and tried to block out all of the negative thoughts that plagued her head daily. Hourly, even. The only time she got any respite was when she was asleep.

She heard the hustle and bustle of some teenagers nearby.

"What I wouldn't give.." she whispered to herself.

"Weasley! Do you quite mind!" Snape admonished.

Apparently Ronald had thought it a rather clever idea to jump into a nearby fountain. Far be it from Snape to allow himself serious anger. He was still sidled with the guilt of the lies he'd had to spew.

He took in his surroundings. Muggles really did get it right when it came to relaxation. The park was filled with children and their mothers, couples cuddling up to each other under the blazing sun. And then his eyes scanned a figure in the distance. The emerald green of her top had given her away. He was a Slytherin. He would always be attracted to green.

His eyes raked over her body as he took in her figure. He perfectly perky breasts sat atop her chest as she arched her back, adjusting her position. Her long legs, one crossed over the other, decorating the grass like a fairy to a tree. She was truly a sight to behold.

"Minerva I'm just taking a quick walk, all these screeching voices are giving me a headache"

He wasn't asking, he was telling. He had to get closer to this girl. Severus felt a draw to her and he wasn't one to ignore his gut. So he walked closer at a slow pace. He could begin to make out the effortlessly beautiful shape of her jaw line, her pink lips pursed together gently. Her large mirrored sunglasses covered a majority of her face but her wavy brown hair fanned out all around her like a halo. She really was a goddess.

Severus found himself without a word to say. It was often that he partook in conversations with muggles in the middle of a park in London. He walked a tad closer as she began to notice his presence. Lifting her head slightly, she leant up on her elbows and looked at him. He so desperately wanted to see her eyes. He was sure they could only be as beautiful, if not more so, as the rest of her.

He soon got his wish.

She removed her sunglasses slowly and looked him straight in the eyes. Severus felt his heart stop momentarily. His mind was racing. How could she be here? How was this possible? He was sure he would be forever haunted by what he saw in her chocolate brown eyes.

Hurt, anger, suffering, confusion. His guilt was more evident than ever. What had she been through? The shadows around her eyes told him that she hadn't been much of a sleeper as of late. Upon closer inspection, her skin was a dull grey. She hadn't been eating properly, that much was apparent. She was laying before his feet, a ripe nineteen year old woman.

"Excuse me Sir, you're kind of freaking me out" she told him.

Her voice was like music to his ears. It had been so long since he'd heard her call him Sir and to know that she still would, even without the knowledge of their history, made him smile on the inside.

"Aren't you hot in all those robey things?" She asked him, blushing slightly.

"Quite. I'm sure I'll be perfectly fine."

She raised an eyebrow at his curt response. He had to react this way. If he didn't, he wouldn't be able to control himself. She had clearly moved on with her life, whichever path she'd chosen to take. Hermione Granger didn't need to know of anybody's existence.

Severus span on his heal and made his way back to the group. As he walked away from her, he could feel her eyes burning into his back. His heart was battering against his rib cage as he kept ahold of the courage that assured him to successfully walk away from her for a second time.

"Potter..." he muttered.

Shit. He had to get all of the students out of that park immediately. Seeing her there would only fuck everything up. For her and for him. No, he had to get them out.

"Right! Lets move on, please. We should make our way to the museum!" He yelled.

Nobody made him ask twice.

Hermione arrived home and looked at the clock. 6pm. Her first customer would be there within minutes.

She stripped out of her clothes and slipped into something a little more alluring. Ruffling her hair with her fingertips, she paced the floor lightly and waited.

She would never forget the first time it happened. She had been struggling to survive when the money had run out. Hermione had never had any clue where the money had come from, but it didnt last her long. She put down a lengthy deposit on a little flat on the outskirts of the big city and the rest went on food and bills.

The day living on the streets had become a sudden reality was when she got desperate. So desperate that she started rummaging through bins behind the local supermarkets for food. She could never believe that that's where her life had taken her. The worst part was that she didn't know who to hate. Who to blame for the life she was living.

She had been approached by an older gentleman in an alley one crisp, winter evening. He had offered her fifty muggle pounds to perform a handjob on him. She had felt sick to her stomach for even considering it. It didn't take her long to decide to follow through with it. She had to feed herself, nobody else was going to do it for me.

Hermione hated every second of the lurid act. She tried not to open her eyes as she pumped away had his erect penis with her fist. As the groans of his climax fell out of his mouth, she felt a sticky, hot liquid coat her fingertips and felt her stomach cramp.

She vomited immediately. The realisation of what she had just done hit her like a tonne of bricks. She hated herself. She was disgusted. She swore never to put herself through it again.

Hermione hadn't wanted to think of how many 'customers' she'd catered to. The very thought made her want to scrub herself raw.

She was brought out of her daze by the sound of a loud knock at the door. Feeling the nerves rising in her stomach, she checked her hair one more time and made her way to the door. Upon opening it, she realised that there was nobody there. Peering out of the doorway, she looked up and down the street. Nobody.

Looking down, she spotted a small velvet box settled down on her welcome mat. Picking it up, she untied the green ribbon gently before it fell to the floor beneath her. She opened it slowly and gasped as she spotted what was hiding inside.

A silver necklace with a beautiful dragon pendant encrusted with three small emeralds. Hermione had never seen such an exquisite piece of jewellery before. Not that she could remember, at least. She spotted the card slipped underneath the small cushion.

'Happy Birthday'

Severus watched as Hermione opened the door to let her visitor leave. He couldn't help the feeling that buried its way into his stomach. The overwhelming urge to rip the man to pieces was difficult to suppress, to say the least.

He was about to turn and leave when he spotted the man handing her muggle money.

Suddenly, he realised.

"Gods"


End file.
